Snyder takes his Medicaid expansion push on the road

Gov. Rick Snyder is taking his push for Medicaid expansion on the road and will continue to apply pressure to the Senate Republicans who rebuffed him last week when they refused to vote on the bill before leaving for summer break.

Monday evening, the governor's office announced Snyder would be in Grand Rapids Tuesday afternoon for the first of what will be an unknown number of meetings called "A Conversation with the Governor." In this kickoff address, he will speak to Spectrum Health employees and other health care stakeholders in Grand Rapids.

Although the announcement did not specify where other planned meetings would take place, they are expected, at least initially, to be in districts represented by Republican senators.

He also is scheduled to take part in a Google+ Hangout event on Monday that will be shown at least at Jackson Community College. The event is being hosted by Rep. Mike Shirkey, R-Clarklake, the chairman of the Michigan Competiveness Committee, which debated the Medicaid expansion bill. Shirkey has been an outspoken supporter of the legislation.

In announcing the meetings, Snyder did not call it Medicaid expansion in his statement, but referred to it as the "Healthy Michigan" plan, which is what is contained in HB 4714 and expands Medicaid in the state to some 400,000 working poor adults.

"The Healthy Michigan plan is vital to the health of our families and the economic success of our state," Snyder said in a statement. "Unfortunately, Michigan now faces a sense of urgency to approve the plan in light of the Senate's failure to vote before taking a summer vacation. I look forward to sharing information about the plan with health care providers, employers and all Michiganders so that we can work together to move it forward. Healthy Michigan is a good step for our state. It will help build healthier families and a stronger Michigan."

The bill passed the House in bipartisan fashion, but stalled in the Senate last week when Senate Majority Leader Randy Richardville, R-Monroe, refused to bring the bill up for a vote because at least half of his 26-member GOP caucus did not support allowing a vote to take place.

Snyder cut short his trade mission to Israel to lobby the Republican senators to support the bill, but he was unsuccessful in his efforts. He responded by calling on the public to pester Senate Republicans as they saw them in their districts, or to call them and demand they go back to Lansing and do their job.

Lawmakers technically have a session day on July 3 and Snyder has urged the Senate to vote on the bill then, but the House will not take any votes that day, and the Senate, so far, is expected to do the same.

Richardville has said he expects the Senate to take eight to 12 weeks to do its work on the bill. Snyder has contended that will be too late, due to the time it will take to seek the necessary federal waivers prior to the Jan. 1 implementation date.